cold front
by Ju5t An0th3r H3d63h06
Summary: in which a Pokéstar Studios actress crosses paths with a Castelia Café barista during a winter storm. cue the offbeat conversation and the movie references. —coffeeshop!au, sequel, oneshot. {for HughMAY Week, day 2}


**a/n: Woo, second day of HughMAY Week! ^v^ And everyone is already off and running posting up such lovely stuff (and making me feel really stupidly guilty because half my crap is fluffy au.) Guys you are all wonderful. Just saying. ;v;**

**This has a massive amount of clichés in it. I await the bricks to come flying through my third-floor window.**

**Disclaimer: NO. :I**

* * *

it's been fun but now I've got to go  
life is way too short to take it slow  
but before I go and hit the road  
i gotta know, 'til then,  
when can we do this again?  
when can I see you again?

~owl city, when can i see you again

* * *

(cold front)

* * *

Hugh Noir is on his third cup of coffee when someone bursts into the shop with a bang of the door and a jingle of the too-cheerful bell.

"Hi, can I have a large black coffee?" blurts the person breathlessly.

"Welcome to Castelia Café," replies Hugh drily.

"Sorry about that. It's just been one of those days." The person—lady—dumps her snow-flecked hoodie unceremoniously onto the back of a chair and takes a seat on one of the bar stools, slumping onto the counter. "Please can I just have my coffee, and then you can tip off the paparazzi if you want."

Hugh trawls through the cup dispenser, looking for a large cap. "Um…even if I knew who you were, why would I want to tip off the paparazzi about you?"

"Thank god okay." The strange woman sighs in evident relief. "You don't know who I am."

"I might," replies Hugh, flicking a sideways glance at her as he fills up the coffee cup to the brim and caps it. "No sugar, no creamer, nothing?"

"Nope," replies the young woman, upending her pink tote bag onto the counter. Hugh catches sight of a makeup bag, a DSi, two mechanical pencils, and a sketchpad with a bunch of cartoon stickers on it before she shovels everything back into the bag with a scowl. "Arceus damn it, where's my wallet?"

"Pockets?" suggests the cobalt-haired male helpfully, placing the coffee on the counter and grabbing a smaller cup to make his own.

"Pockets." The woman pats the pockets of her yellow skirt before grabbing her hoodie and retrieving a Meloetta-shaped wallet. "Success! You're the best, Hugh!"

Hugh nearly drops his coffee. "How do you know my name?"

"Name tag," replies his companion in her best duh-voice.

"Well, that's hardly fair," replies Hugh, quirking an eyebrow at her. "You know my name, but I don't know yours."

"Guess." The young woman grins at him, fishing out a 1000-Pokéyen bill for her coffee as she starts naming movies. "Timegate Traveler, Full Metal Cop, Diary of a Poké Romantic—"

"—Rosa Blanc." Hugh cuts her off as he hits a button on the coffee machine. The elixir of life splashes into his cup, and he hands her the change while he waits. "I watched Diary of a Poké Romantic yesterday."

"Really." Rosa adopts an amused expression as she dumps the handful of coins into her bag, not bothering to search for her wallet again.

"Haru made me," admits Hugh grudgingly, capping his own coffee and taking it to the counter.

"Uh-huh," snickers Rosa, replacing her hoodie and sitting back down. "The mysterious 'Haru', that's what they all say."

"I'm serious!" Hugh protests. "I was walking to work, and she catches me on the way like 'Hey, big brother! Call out sick so you can go to Pokéstar Studios with me!' So I tell my boss I ate a bad Casteliacone—"

"You _what?_" sputters Rosa incredulously, looking very much like she would have spit out her coffee if she was drinking any.

"—and he gives me the day off, so we take the ferry back to Virbank and head to the theaters to see what's playing. I was expecting a cartoon or something, but she walks right up and asks for two tickets to a _romantic comedy._"

By now, Rosa is laughing too hard to even attempt imbibing her drink. "How'd you like it?"

"I spent the entire hour and a half counting how many Skittles to a bag," replies Hugh bluntly.

Rosa pouts, insulted. "Hey! Don't insult my movie!"

"I didn't say the movie was_ bad._" Hugh takes a sip of his coffee. "I just don't do romantic comedies. Especially not while my little sister is going 'awww' along with the rest of the theater."

"Better." Rosa grins and takes a long gulp of her (black) coffee.

Hugh shudders. "That is disgusting. I do not see the logic in black coffee."

"Mmm. Bitter coffee grounds." The brunette smirks, enjoying Hugh's faintly horrified expression.

The two lapse into companiable silence for a few minutes, each party lost in his or her own respective thoughts. Outside, the snow descends against the window panes in sheets, battering any unfortunate souls who happen to be located in the external vestiges of the city.

"So." Hugh is the first to break the stillness that has fallen over the two of them by leaning over and placing his coffee on the counter next to hers. He slides over the counter to join her on the row of cushioned chairs pretending to be bar stools, posing his question as he does so. "How'd you get all the way to Castelia in this storm?"

Rosa lets out a sigh and slumps onto the counter, burying her face in her arms. "Must I answer that?" she mumbles through the sleeves of her light blue three-quarter shirt.

"Well, I divulged the series of events that led me to watch 'Diary of a Poké Romantic', of all things," replies the cobalt-haired barista, "so I think it would be quite unfair of you to not return the favor."

"You want me to tell you how _I_ watched that movie?" asks the cinnamon-haired actress, feigning ignorance. "Well, after I read the script, Nate said—"

"The other question," replies Hugh, imitating her duh-voice from earlier.

"Riiiight, of course." Rosa grins in a slightly mischievous way, suggesting that she knew exactly what he was talking about. "Well…" Her expression turns serious as she begins her story.

"We were on location in Virbank for some TV show. I don't even remember what it was. Anyway, so you know how the lead is Christoph? The singer who did 'Quick Ball to my Heart' and now he has fangirls around every corner? Well no, you probably don't actually, because the show is so new it hasn't even been announced…but details, whatever. Also don't tell anyone or I will hunt you down. So we were shooting a scene for this show, and I'm over to the side reviewing script changes because my character's not in this scene, and all of a sudden this _massive_ horde of fans just PLOWS through the police barricades and tramples the _entire actual set._ And everyone's lunch, but that's beside the point because the Nimbasa City Subway sells this _fantastic_ sandwich with, like, everything on it—"

"You sure talk a lot," remarks Hugh as he stirs his coffee.

"Oh, shut up!" Rosa punches him in the arm with what she probably thought was a light punch. "I'm getting there."

Hugh rubs his arm, wincing, but wisely decides not to comment.

"A-ny-way," the cinnamon-haired woman continues, "everyone sort of fled, and I took the ferry over from Virbank because I was banking on the fact that none of the other crazy peoples would be stupid enough to follow me after the ferry came back, because by that time the snow was coming down _waaay _harder than the light flurries the weatherman said. A few of the crazy peoples did follow me around, though, so I ran down Narrow Street and found this café. And here I am. Ta-da!~" She finishes with an elegant flourish of her hands and a little half-bow, and Hugh stifles a snicker at her antics.

"Got a problem with my curtsy?" challenges Rosa, noticing his camouflaged laugh.

"Erm, noooo…" Hugh trails off, awkwardly trying to extricate himself from her piercing blue gaze.

"Don't insult the curtsy, pineapple head." The actress narrows her eyes at the barista suspiciously.

"Pineapple…?" Hugh pats his dark-blue hair self-consciously, eventually realizing that she is referring to his gelled spikes. Scowling, he narrows his eyes right back. "Yeah, well, you're one to talk. Your hair is all over the place."

"What do you mean, all over the pla—craaaaap. The wind." Rosa snaps her fingers in realization, grabbing Hugh's coffee spoon and examining her reflection. The top part of her waist-length hair is permanently mussed up, thanks to the snow melting on top of it and subsequently drying her hair into that position. Abandoning the spoon, she turns towards the nearest window and shakes a fist at it.

"Jack Frost, you little shit. I believe in you! Stop messing with my hair, dammit!"

"Said Rapunzel," snarks Hugh in an undertone.

"You—that's not funny!" Mock-angered, Rosa balls up a napkin and flings it in the direction of the cobalt-haired male, who easily dodges. Undeterred, she tosses her coffee lid at him, followed by the spoon. Both items miss their mark, so she resorts to blowing straw wrappers in his direction.

"Coffee's probably getting cold," notes Hugh as he leans against the coffee machine and idly examines his fingernails while dodging Rosa's terribly-aimed straw wrappers. "Sure you don't want to give up yet?"

"No!" Rosa rips off the top of another straw, a determined expression spreading across her face. "I _will _hit you with a straw wrapper!" She launches the latest wrapper with a _fwiff_, and a surprised Hugh is clipped on the shoulder.

"I win! Yay!" The brunette beams at Hugh, and he is momentarily blinded.

_No wonder she's an actress. She's beautiful when she smiles._

Rosa takes a step back, blushing bright red. "U-um…you really think so?"

Too late, Hugh realizes that he's just aired his thoughts aloud. A light pink flush rises to his cheeks as he nods, wishing he could crawl into a hole and die of embarrassment.

"I, umm…thank you," Rosa blurts into the stifling silence, fidgeting with the hem of her skirt.

"You're welcome," replies Hugh awkwardly.

The silence is suffocating, so the cobalt-haired barista retreats behind the counter and tops off both their coffee cups with a fresh pot. Rosa accepts her (black) coffee graciously and sips it, warily eyeing the snowstorm outside.

"Are you going to be able to get back?" asks Hugh, following her line of sight and noting that the blizzard has not eased up in the slightest since the cinnamon-haired actress took refuge in the coffee shop.

"Eh, I'll manage," shrugs Rosa offhandedly, quirking a half-grin.

Hugh is not convinced, but shrugs in response, leaving the brunette to her own thoughts as he idly twirls a straw.

Rosa blinks at the straw and suddenly leaps off the chair pretending to be a bar stool. "I'm such an idiot, leaving this place a mess! Where's a broom?" she cries, panicking slightly as he cerulean eyes search the small shop.

Hugh double-checks to make sure he isn't admitting anything else aloud (like her cuteness or something, _wait what_) before rolling his eyes good-naturedly. "Rosa, it's fine. Also, that's _my_ job."

"Yeah, well, I can't quite do _my_ job at this moment," replies the brunette, pouting slightly, "so I should be helpful, right? Besides, I didn't pay for a refill."

"On the house." Hugh waves a hand and downs the rest of his coffee before going in search of a broom.

"Hey," Rosa calls out as he rummages in the tiny closet hidden by one of the machines. "You asked about me getting home, but what about you?"

Hugh emerges with two brooms and hands one off to the actress. "I'll be fine. I live down the street."

"Oh." A light tinge of pink rises to the brunette's cheeks, and she starts sweeping overenthusiastically to cover her evident embarrassment. Hugh raises an eyebrow, but refrains from commenting.

(He does, however, feel that the song she's humming deserves a comment.)

"Glassheart, really?"

"Hey!" Rosa stops sweeping and glares at him. "Don't knock the song, it's our opening theme for the show!"

"Which I can't tell anyone about or you'll hunt me down," replies Hugh, amused despite himself.

"Exactly." Rosa beams at him for the second time today.

The two sweep in companionable silence for a while. Hugh retrieves a trash bag and a dustpan from the hidden closet, and Rosa tosses straws and wrappers while he wipes down the slab of marble pretending to be a bar.

The clock on the wall ticks mercilessly towards closing time. Both parties are completely content to ignore it.

* * *

"So tell me," remarks Hugh to the cinnamon-haired actress as he sips his hot chocolate. (He's decided it would probably be a good idea to switch off to something de-caffeinated for the time being. Rosa has had no such reservations, as she is on her third cup of (still black) coffee.) "When did you watch Rise of the Guardians? I wouldn't have thought you could go to the theaters without being mobbed by fans."

"Oh, ha ha." Rosa scowls at him. "But actually, you're kind of right about the mob thing," she admits. "I ended up watching it with Nate because he loves anything to do with Disney or Dreamworks so he bought the DVD as soon as it came out—"

"My sister did too, actually," muses Hugh. "I bet they would get along really well."

"—come to think of it, where the heck is my brother?" Rosa puts her coffee down and reaches for her enormous tote bag, retrieving a pink C-Gear. She unlocks it with a complicated drawing and frowns down at the screen. "Lots of text messages. This can't be good."

"Who's looking for you?" asks the cobalt-haired barista, quirking an eyebrow in her direction.

"Erm…" Rosa scrolls down her text log. "My manager, Christoph, Nate—what do you mean, _where am I?_ I was looking for you first!—my manager again, Nate again, January…"

Hugh winces slightly. "Can't you just tell them you're stuck?"

"Well…" Rosa bites her lip. "I—I can at least make it back to Virbank before the second wave of snow hits. I think," she tacks on under her breath.

"Do you have any Pokémon that can fly or anything?" Hugh eyes the storm outside; although the snow is no longer hitting the windows in some crazy drumbeat, it's still swirling around more than the usual flurry.

"Ahaha, umm…" Rosa scuffs the wooden floor with one of her Osiris high-tops. "I left Hydreigon at home…but I can walk, really! It's just some snow!"

"It's a blizzard, Rosa," replies Hugh incredulously. "You can't be serious."

"W-well…" Rosa stares at the floor, grinning nervously. "I don't really have much of a choice, haha…"

"I'll take you."

Ignoring the part of his brain that is yelling THIS IS A VERY BAD IDEA, Hugh rummages in his bag and retrieves two Pokéballs. He hands one to her, and she accepts graciously with a "you don't have to do this, really…" but he waves it off and gestures for her to open the capsule.

Rosa clicks the button, and a Flygon emerges from the Pokéball in a flash of red light. Eyes wide, she stares up at the Dragon-type in childish awe. "You own a Flygon?"

"You own a Hydreigon," replies Hugh, grinning.

Rosa blushes slightly. "Touché."

Hugh locks up the register and grabs the second Pokéball, deciding against releasing his other Flying-type until he is not sharing airspace with a seven-foot-long dragon. Rosa tightens the strings on her hoodie in preparation to face the blizzard.

"Ready?" The blunette barista quirks a sideways grin at her.

"Ready," affirms the cinnamon-haired actress, pushing open the door.

* * *

The wind and the snow are swirling around them as Flygon barrels down Narrow Street, Rosa hanging on for dear life. Hugh trails behind her on an Unfezant, ducking just in time to avoid a wall as the Proud Pokémon angles sideways into a connecting alley. They burst out into the wide-open city square, surprising a renegade cameraman as they debate quickly over the fastest way back to Virbank.

"This way!" Hugh points towards the docks, grateful that the snow has eased up enough to allow visibility.

"Got it!" Rosa nods and whispers something to Flygon, who proceeds to wing in the direction of Castelia Bay.

(The picture makes the front page of several tabloids the next morning.)

* * *

Hugh stands on the edge of the dock after they land, watching curiously over Rosa's shoulder as she checks her C-Gear once again.

"Twelve new messages, all from the same people," groans the cinnamon-haired actress. "I should throw this thing into the bay." Regardless, she keeps a hold on the offending pink object, instead opting to return the borrowed dragon to its Pokéball. "You…you really didn't have to do this," she adds shyly, turning to face him.

"It's okay. I mean, it's not like I had anything to do…blizzard and all…" Hugh accepts the Pokéball, scuffing a boot against the ground.

"But still…you gave me coffee and you didn't expose me to the paparazzi and you made friends with me because I'm Rosa and not because I'm famous. So thank you." Rosa grins sincerely up at Hugh and stands on her tiptoes to plant a quick kiss on his cheek. Just as quickly, she dashes off, and the cobalt-haired barista is left with the feeling of her lips on his cheek and a slip of paper in his hand.

Slightly dazed, Hugh unfolds the piece of paper she's left him. There's a note.

_Thank you very much for everything! I had lots of fun today. Also, I've decided: I'll give you an autograph, since you liked Diary of a Poké Romantic so much. :) _A phone number is neatly printed underneath.

Hugh stares at the slip of sketch paper in his hand for a few seconds before looking in the direction of Pokéstar Studios, a small grin flickering across his face.

* * *

Maybe he will call her tomorrow. After all, she still owes him an autograph.

* * *

Fin.


End file.
